This invention relates to an insulation displacement mass termination flat cable connector and a method of use of the connector.
Insulation displacement mass termination connectors have come into increasing use because of the great savings in the labor and time they offer in comparison with the previous method of stripping the insulation from each individual conductor and applying a crimp terminal to the bared end of each. Mass termination connectors have been specifically designed for use with a flat cable wherein a series of regularly spaced conductors are embedded in a planar sheet of insulation. Such connectors typically include an aligned base and a cover with a series of regularly spaced metallic terminal elements carried by the base and extending toward the cover. The leading end of each element is bifurcated and sharply pointed for piercing the insulation of the flat cable and engaging a corresponding conductor. The base and cover are joined at each end by a post for holding the base and cover in an insertion position so that a flat cable can be inserted between the terminal elements and the cover. Examples of such prior art flat cable connectors are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,106,838 and 4,188,083. These connectors can be applied adjacent the end of a length of flat cable when a dead end connection is desired or they can be applied intermediate the ends of the cable when a daisy chain connection is required.
These prior art flat cable connectors are typically used with a manual press having a connector holder opposing a reciprocal ram carrying a presser foot for pushing the cover toward the base thereby terminating the flat cable. A common difficulty of the prior art connectors and terminators is that while they can be easily used for dead end connections, they are difficult to use when a daisy chain connection is required because the flat cable must be inserted from the side of the connector and then threaded sufficiently so that the proper placement of the connector is achieved. Also the use of such terminators and connectors requires the operator to place each connector in the tool and then manually remove the completed termination.